Awards Jury
Head of Jury - Christaine Seidel
Danelle Eliav
Originally from Canada, Danelle Eliav is an actor, filmmaker and producer based in New York. Producing work includes Joshua Z Weinstein’s debut feature MENASHE which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, Berlinale and New Directors/New Films and was released by A24. MENASHE was nominated for a Gotham Award, an Independent Spirit Award and was named one of the top ten Independent Films of 2017 by the National Board of Review. Producing work also includes THE GREAT DARKENED DAYS (TIFF, Winner of 5 Canadian Screen Awards); THE GREAT PRETENDER (Tribeca Film Festival, Berlin Critics Week); EMOTICON ;) featuring Carol Kane and Sonia Braga; THE SHEIK, a documentary feature film about Iranian wrestling legend the Iron Sheik featuring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (Hot Docs Film Festival). Danelle recently produced Hugo Perez’s documentary OMARA: THE LAST DIVA on Cuban singer Omara Portuondo. She is a writer on MGM's reboot of #WARGAMES and a founder of WOMEN INDEPENDENT PRODUCERS (WIP).
Alex R Ephraim
A.R. holds a Master’s degree in History of Art and has taught as a lecturer at several universities. She is a speaker of Spanish, French, Hungarian and Farsi. Recently, she completed her first feature film, A Woman’s Work. When not writing, A.R. volunteers regularly as an ESOL tutor in county jails, as a family mentor for the International Rescue Committee, and in various roles with Special Olympics.
Halla Tryggvadottire
Originally from Iceland, Hallfridur Thora Tryggvadottir (Halla) is a New York–based producer and creator whose work bridges film, theatre, and dance. She holds an MFA in Theatre Management & Producing from Columbia University and serves as Director of Marketing & Audience Development at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Her producing credits include Mother Melancholia, co-commissioned by Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch and premiered at Film at Lincoln Center, and her short film ÉG (I), which has screened and won awards at festivals worldwide.
Tuva Novotny is one of the most prominent and successful actresses in the Nordics today.
A myriad of smaller TV roles led her to her first feature directed by Daniel Alfredsson, Tic Tac
(1997). Over the last 25 years, Novotny has continued to build her career with well-chosen features such as Simon Staho’s Day and Night, opposite Julia Roberts in Eat, Pray, Love, and in Oscar-nominated A War, just to mention a few.
Tuva Novotny also has an internationally acclaimed career, and has received several awards and nominations for her acting performances. She starred in Alex Garlands sci-fi-thriller Annihilation alongside Natalie Portman, and Borg McEnroe with Shia LaBeouf and Stellan Skarsgård. After taking part in a great number of TV projects, Novotny transitioned from actor to director with one of Norway’s biggest TV successes, Dag, and Netflix series Lilyhammer.
In 2019, Novotny wrote and directed two features: the critically acclaimed and award winning Blind Spot, starring Norwegian actress Pia Tjelta, and her second directorial endeavor, Britt Marie Was Here, starring Pernilla August. On the acting side, Novotny appeared in Jonas Alexander Arnby’s Suicide Tourist, which premiered in Les Arcs.
In 2022, Tuva could be seen in the re-boot of Lars von Trier’s iconic The Kingdom; Exodus. Her latest project Diorama, which she wrote and directed, hit the screens to critical acclaim in early May 2022.
2024 Tuva starred in tv series All and Eve, and Netflix-success The Abyss, and this year she is the lead in Paprika Steens ”The New Year”, premiering fall 2025.
Ashley Daniels
Ashley Daniels, Head of Development at Dogbone Entertainment, comes with a 15 year background in the industry. Ashley has been a member of IATSEs 480 and 479, and now spearheads projects streaming at Amazon Video, Netflix, Disney+, as well as in theaters, with Lionsgate, Universal, and Marvel. She continually strives to challenge the way Hollywood views minorities, the LGBTQ+ community, and female creatives. Ashley is originally from Sheridan, Wyoming and graduated from Chadron State College. She is honored to return as a member of the jury for NIFF this year and is thankful to her family and puppies for always supporting her big, crazy dreams.
Kayli Carter
Kayli Carter is a New York based actor and writer whose previous notable credits include Emmy Nominated shows MRS. AMERICA (FX), THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL (Amazon), GODLESS (Netflix) and Focus Features Film,
LET HIM GO. She was Nominated for an Independent Spirit Award in the Best Supporting Female category for her work in Tamara Jenkins’ Netflix feature Private Life.
Her previous Stage work includes THIS WORLD OF TOMORROW opposite Tom Hanks, Dir. Kenny Leon (The Shed), Tracy Letts’ MARY PAGE MARLOWE, directed by Lila Neugebauer, Off-Broadway, and ON THE EVOLUTIONARY FUNCTION OF SHAME (2ST). She originated the role of Flo in Mark Rylance's Olivier-Award Nominated Comedy, NICE FISH. (West End, St. Ann's Warehouse, American Repertory Theater). She will be seen in the upcoming series, VLADIMIR (20th Studios, Netflix) opposite Rachel Weisz.
Jacob A. Ware
Jacob A. Ware is an actor and filmmaker who loves the art of short films, from limited budgets to time constraints. Most recently starring in the horror flicks Pandora Inc (Frightfest London, Popcorn Frights) and The Man & The Scarecrow (Brooklyn Horror Film Festival), his work has appeared at Sundance Film Festival, Tribeca Festival, Fantasia, Dances With Films. TV: Law & Order, Fallout, Boardwalk Empire
Hunter Baker
Hunter Robert Baker is a New York City, Los Angeles, and New Mexico based Emmy® Award winning feature film, television, and commercial Director of Photography and Producer. His work has also been nominated for 4 Emmy® Awards. Hunter has photographed 7 feature-length films across the world. Hunter has worked on Navajo Nation for over a decade bringing powerful stories from the frontline of desert communities to the front pages of publications and media outlets around the world. From fiction to non-fiction Hunter’s work has been rooted in under-reported stories and voices not often heard. Most recently, Baker worked as Alaska Director of Photography, in the Northern Alaskan Arctic Circle with the Iñupiaq tribe, on the award-winning fiction anthology series HBO’s True Detective: Night Country, Starring Jodi Foster and Kali Reis. Hunter Robert Baker made his feature directorial debut at Full Frame Film Festival in 2018 with The Blessing. A feature length documentary set over the course of 5 years on the Navajo Nation.
Samantha Soule
Samantha Soule is an award winning actress, filmmaker and writer based in NYC. A graduate of The Juilliard School, she has appeared on stage and screen for over twenty five years. As an actress, Sam can currently be found on Netflix (A House Of Dynamite, Outer Banks, Godless, The Queens Gambit, Tales of The City), Showtime (City On A Hill) and FOX (Doc), among many others. Her work behind the scenes includes the multiple award winning screenplays, seven short films, three music videos and two features which are currently in post production. Sam’s work has played festivals and won awards across the country and abroad. Her feature film debut, (co-written and directed with Daniel Talbott) MIDDAY BLACK MIDNIGHT BLUE (starring Merritt Wever) was released by Good Deed Entertainment in June of 2023.
Mark Tallman
Mark Tallman is being applauded by audiences in his latest starring role on Apple TV+’s hit series, YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS. This role comes fresh off his starring role in 3 seasons of the highly-viewed series, and remake of the original blockbuster hit, FIRST WIVES CLUB, which can currently be streamed on Netflix. Born on Fort Bliss in El Paso, TX into a military family, and having earned Team Captain & First Team All-Conference honors as an NCAA D1 athlete, Mark Tallman brings unique authenticity, leadership, and humor to set and to the screen.
Johan Hallström
As a Film Programmer Johan has worked for the British Film Institute(BFI), Dublin International Film Festival (DIFF) Nordic International Film Festival in New York (NIFF) as well as Stockholm Film Festival and Tempo Documentary festival among many other film festivals. In these roles he has done great amounts of Q&A’s with actors, directors, producers and other guests from all over the world.
He also ran the prominent 700 seater cinema PARK in Stockholm where he curated their film program as well as creating numerous film premieres, galas and company events.
In 2024 he acted as the Artistic Leader for the Bergman Week at Faro and their 20th anniversary.